Pasta Sauces

Pesto (small batch)

So handy to have in your fridge.

3 cloves of garlic
a good handful of fresh basil
a good handful of fresh parsley
100g of walnut pieces (yes you can use pine nuts instead - but why would you?)
125ml olive oil

Put the whole lot into a food processor or blender and turn it into a paste. Pour the paste into a jar, put a tight lid on it and keep it in the fridge until you need it - it will keep 2-3 weeks.

For one person cook 100g of pasta (I usually use penne for this). Put a heaped tablespoon of the sauce into your bowl and dilute it with a tablespoon of the water the pasta is cooking in. Grate in some pecorino. Drain the pasta, add it to the bowl and mix well.

A little clarification - I used to make this with pine nuts but they are a lot more expensive than walnuts and I can't taste any difference in the end product. The reason for not adding pecorino (or parmesan) until just before serving is that the pesto stays greener that way.

A tub of pesto in the fridge means that you are only ever about 15 mins from a tasty meal - and it's not just for pasta - make some cuts in a part-baked ciabatta, work some pesto into the slits, pop it into the oven for 10 mins and you have great garlic bread.

All' Amatriciana (for 2)

About 100g Bacon - streaky, back middle, smoked, unsmoked, it doesn't matter.
2 tablespoons olive oil
Dash of hot pepper sauce (Tabasco or whatever)
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
A glass of red wine (for the technically minded - a white wine sized glass of red wine)
2/3rds of a 400g tin of peeled plum tomatoes
A sprig of rosemary
Freshly ground black pepper (no salt - the bacon is salty enough)
150-200g penne pasta
Some Pecorino (cheaper than parmesan) - slivered with a potato peeler or grated with a hand grater.

Slice the bacon into thin strips & fry in a saucepan. When it starts to brown add the onions and continue to fry until the bottom of the pot gets cruddy. Add the wine and use it to disolve the crud off the bottom of the pot - then add the tomatoes, rosemary and pepper. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for at least 20 minutes, until thick and almost dry. (If it starts to burn just stir in a drop of water.)

Cook the penne & drain it in a colander. Add to the sauce, mix, and serve with Pecorino.

Variations - sometimes I add some dried oregano but not always. Some people add a couple of cloves of chopped garlic - personally I don't think that the dish needs it.

Carbonara (for 2)

Real fast food.

200g dry pasta
70g pancetta or streaky bacon sliced into small pieces
Butter, about 2 tablespoons
100ml cream (single cream is fine)
2 egg yolks
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino or parmesan

Put the pasta on to cook. When there are about 3 minutes left melt the butter and add the pancetta/bacon - it will cook in seconds. Take the pan off the heat and add the cream, pepper and egg yolks. Mix well and don't let it turn into scrambled egg. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Mix well. The idea is that the heat of the pasta will thicken the sauce but you can put it back on a medium heat if you need to - just don't take your eyes of it.

Fast, easy and bloody glorious.

Puttanesca (for 2)

This is an "anchovy free" Puttanesca, my wife doesn't like anchovies. It takes a little longer than the other sauces - you're looking for a nice thick sauce with gutsy flavours.

200g dry pasta (I use spaghetti)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
a few fresh basil leaves
a heaped tablespoon of capers, rinsed
pitted black olives, chopped, about a handful
400g tinned tomatoes
dry oregano
Dash of hot pepper sauce (Tabasco or whatever)
Grated pecorino or parmesan

Peel and slice the garlic, chop the olives, rinse the capers. Heat the oil in a saucepan.

Fry the garlic and basil in the oil unti the garlic starts to change colour. Add the tinned tomatoes, chopped olives, capers and oregano. Break up the tomotoes with a wooden spoon. Add a good dash of hot pepper sauce. Simmer on a low heat for 30 mins - you're aiming for a thick jam-like consistency. (If it gets too thick you can rescue it by adding a bit of water.)

Cook the pasta, put it into bowls and pour the sauce on top. Sprinkle with pecorino and top it off with a sprig of fresh basil.